<p>I was wondering what type of laptop is best for an economy major. I wanted to get an apple but I feel like everyone else around me is getting dells? Does it even matter, what do people recommend? Does either one have its advantages at NW?</p>
<p>liek omg! you own the economy!</p>
<p>For the money, you can get a loaded Dell Laptop for pretty cheap. One with everything you'd need (minus any specific software you want) for $800-1100</p>
<p>......where?</p>
<p>Dell.com</p>
<p>Checkout <a href="http://Gottadeal.com%5B/url%5D">http://Gottadeal.com</a> for Dell Coupons.</p>
<p>I would wait till after the summer. No use getting a laptop now and watching performance go up and prices go down before you begin using it.</p>
<p>I know some people who have dells, but they said they heat up really quickly, does anyone know if this is true? Also, I'm thinking about getting an Apple Laptop, anyone on the board switch from windows to apple, is it an easy switch?</p>
<p>Macs (the laptops) also heat up quickly.. if you keep them plugged in for long periods of time. It's an issue with the lithium-ion batteries, not with the computers themselves, so for right now.. no cures.</p>
<p>I switched to apple right before I started college. Best decision I made. I'm a senior now and my laptop is starting to show its age, but if you spend time with your computer the Apple is well worth the investment. You pay a little more, but you get a lot more in return; not just in features, but in convenience as well.
The problem is, Apple is going through this period where they are transitioning their processors from power PC chips to intel chips. As a result, if you want a cutting edge computer that will last you all 4 years, you're going to need to spend about $2000-$2200.
If you'll be happy with a computer that will be good enough after 4 years an iBook will be fine. You won't be able to play too many games and intensive programs like Adobe Photoshop will run slowly, but it will suit your needs for $800-$1000.</p>
<p>yo WY I switched to apple from windows as well. First of all, apples are sexy. second, like pavs said, you can't really play games well on them, but if you want something light and dependable (and sexy) then get an apple. third, it's easy to switch. I didn't have many if any issues getting used to having one mouse button or any of the new interface things. In fact, I find using a mac os more streamlined than using windows. Also, my computer hardly crashes. It did once because my room became really humid, but the apple store guys on michigan avenue at the genius bar got me a new one because of apple care.</p>
<p>Well I know that everyone in the grad school of business has IBM thinkpads...its really eerie walking through Kellog and seeing everyone using the exact same computer, but thats really how it is. Given, that laptop is probably given to them when entering the school, but they must work out pretty well for everyone to stick with them.</p>
<p>A little background...</p>
<h2>I'm a technology consultant for Fortune 500 companies so I am Microsoft certified in several technologies. Most vertical market applications used by corporations do not run on the Mac OS -- but at our home everyone has a Mac.</h2>
<p>Just recently a friend of mine bought the new MacBook Pro with an Intel dual-processor chip. He wanted my help with an installation of Windows XP Pro on his laptop -- not emulation, an actual installation of the Microsoft OS. I fixed a few things with his wireless card (he didn't know about the "repair" feature built into the Windows OS). From what I could see, the Mac laptop was running Windows applications faster than my Dell or IBM laptops. Of course the Dell and IBM are a little older and don't have dual core Intel processors.</p>
<p>So now, you can get a Mac with Intel processors and if you need to use Windows then you can reboot into the Windows partition. </p>
<p>Apple recently came out with some cute commercials you can find here...</p>
<p><a href="http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/%5B/url%5D">http://www.apple.com/getamac/ads/</a></p>
<p>I think my favorite is "network".</p>
<p>Remember, the commercials are really pointing out differences between the operating systems not the hardware. Windows on the Mac has the same chance of getting a virus as Windows on a Dell.</p>
<p>...and my previous advice still applies. If you can wait before buying a new machine then wait. Apple should be coming out with an Intel-based replacement for the iBook shortly (low end = cheaper). All companies including Apple announce new products and price reductions before the start of the new academic year. It pays to wait.</p>